Hope is a Lie, but Ill Believe It Anyway
by rawrxsushii
Summary: You lost your right to wield a keyblade a lifetime ago. Aqua lost hers because of you. You've been helpless for so long that it hurt to be the reason someone else was. You decided to reclaim your light in order protect others again, as well as regain your misplaced memories. However, the darkness isn't so kind towards redemption arcs. (2nd in When Stars Align)


**DISCLAIMER**: All Square Enix/Disney characters mentioned and used in this fictional work is/are the property of their respective companies. They are not mine and are only being used to share my love for this franchise, story, and characters.

This is the second story in a series of KH/Ux stories called "When Stars Align". This one serves as a sequel to first story, "Something Lost, Something Found". While not necessary to read, it'll be a nice thing to do. I incorporated a brief summary of what has transpired between the [Player] and Aqua in that fic in this too but they're not as angsty as the one in the 5 chapter fic. Anyway. This one-shot fic will be a little experimental as I'm writing the [Player] in second POV, which makes it a reader insert of sorts? Feel free to imagine yourself or your Union characters in their stead. [Player] is gender neutral in all my fics, so have at it!

Reviews and feedback are greatly appreciated.

* * *

You wade your feet near the edge of the water as the waves crashed unto the dark sandy beach. It rippled around you as it chilled your barren toes.

The cold was nothing new. It was just the new normal after years of entrapment in the realm of darkness. Time was nonexistent in this prison, but every waking hour did not fail to remind you how bleak your position was. You've been trapped her for so long that the image of the sun, moon, and stars were barely specters in your memory. You have even forgotten what it was like to feel warm. The darkness was just that, empty and dark. There was not warmth and comfort in it. However, eternity here has made it the closest familiar thing around.

In the distant past, you felt as though you yourself was a source of light and warmth for many, but the afterlife has thrown you off the deep end. You supposed you should feel bad about it, and perhaps you did once, but things changed. You didn't seek the warm anymore. You're just content holding on to something comfortable, something familiar. You don't remember a whole lot about yourself so you latched unto something that made sense in this world, even if every single memory in your body told you not to.

It hurt to live in this nothingness, and even harder to fight it. There was no light at the end of your struggles and this world, so you surrendered to it. The dark has been kinder since. It left you alone, and you wandered everywhere without a destination in mind. Some of the worlds the darkness led you were familiar yet at the same time... not. You tried to recall any semblance of memory about them but every time you did, you were immediately cast in pain.

You tried to fight against the pain, but soon gave it up. Fighting amounted to nothing. You always forgot what it was you could grasp, and the darkness laughed at your misery, so you let it win. The least you tried, the more merciful it was. It let you feel something about your past.

They weren't in the form of memories but strong bursts of emotions. They appear out of the blue and are gone the next moment before you can make any sense of them. It whispers to you what is right from wrong, and what is familiar or not. One moment you're crying, and the next you're confused as to why you started shedding tears in the first place. It frustrated you to know that the answers were already within you, but whatever you did, it just never came back.

You felt more helpless that you did before you even realized that you used to be someone in the past. The darkness liked to tease and tease, but never give. It irritated you, and the darkness fed on that frustration. It powered it even more, thus further chaining you to its source of power. You became a shell of who you once were. Someone who existed because someone else, or something else willed it. You stopped giving importance to any lingering memory the darkness showed or made you feel, you just forgot it anyway.

The only thing it did allow you to remember was the Heartless. Then it gave you her.

"There you are," Aqua sighed.

You turned to catch her approach from behind with her face slowly being illuminated by the faint light by the horizon.

Aqua found you completely by accident by the Fountain of Daybreak Town - _your home_. You were convinced that the darkness made her up and was playing games with you until she kept on bothering you. She followed you everywhere and even if you lost her, she seemed to know where to find you. It was a nuisance. However, her stubbornness and obvious sincerity opened something in you.

You couldn't explain it, but the moment you saw her keyblade and touched it with your fingers, the light's warmth which you've forgotten suddenly rushed forth. It enveloped you in a very familiar embrace and you couldn't help but bathe in it.

The Darkness wasn't pleased with how welcome you were toward it and turned that hope into anger. You couldn't help it. You don't remember how it happened, but Aqua got hurt, and you blamed yourself for it. To apologize, you tried to open up yourself more to her. It made her happy, so it made you slightly more too. The change of pace somehow brought forth more emotion from you compared to when you were alone. The Darkness couldn't reach and act through you as it did before, not with Aqua keeping you safe, and ever so slowly, emotions you've buried and forgotten started to come back.

You were curious again, you felt bursts of joy over the simplest of things, and every time Aqua told stories about her friends, you couldn't help but hold unto the glimmer of hope she possessed. She made you feel alive again and it felt _right_.

Then the nightmares started.

It was like the Darkness was giving you what you've always wanted in the past, but at a great cost. It was painful every time you live each memory, and upon waking you couldn't for the life of you remember any of it. You knew it happened, but you didn't know _what_ happened. Every time you woke up from an episode, you felt more and more frustrated that you felt the light slowly dim in your heart again.

The darkness was reeling you back in, and you shied away from Aqua. She only wanted to help, but you felt this was something you had to do on your own. You kept at it for a while until it became too much, you felt more and more suffocated not telling Aqua about your struggles so you did. It lifted a lot of your shoulders, and Aqua finally figured out who you were.

"I was worried you ran off to summon your keyblade again."

Your eye twitched. You weren't doing it now, but you were planning to.

Aqua had her suspicions ever since you met, and it was only after you told her about the nightmares that she concluded it. You had power similar to hers, it was why you were drawn to her, and her to you. You knew it deep down, ever since you woke up in this world, but you chose to forget it. Ever since it stopped coming to you, ignored your cries of help, and all that saved you was the Darkness; never the light.

You lost the weapon of hope, because you yourself lost the drive to hope for a better future. You submitted to the darkness and so, the light no longer heeded your call. The Darkness has tainted you far too much to deserve a weapon of light. You weren't worthy anymore, however, Aqua refused to believe that and wanted to help you get it back. In her confidence, you tried to summon it.

Your hand ghosts over your chest, as a non-existent wound burned at the memory. "To hurt myself again?" you asked bitterly. "No thanks."

Aqua laughed. You were a little offended by it, but not too much to call her out. "You can't fool me with that tough act. I've seen you try two worlds ago _without me_ no less."

"You –" you stuttered. "You did?"

Aqua nodded. "A real fighter like us, would never give up on hope. No matter how small it is." She placed a hand on your shoulder and said, "I know it's tough, knowing that you have the power to fight yet feel so powerless at the same time. It's..." she glanced at her hand and frowned. "It's not easy."

You watched her experimentally reach out for something with her hand, and noticed the sense of longing in her eyes. It was like she lost something that defined herself, but was keeping up a front for both of them. She needed to be strong for herself and you. You sighed, guilty. "I'm sorry." Aqua looked at you, confused. "If I didn't tell you about the dreams, then your keyblade wouldn't have -"

Aqua shook her head. "You did the right thing. We're in this together, remember? I promised to help you find out who you are. Losing my keyblade is… difficult, but I can manage."

You looked away, feeling as though you don't deserve the kindness Aqua has been showing you since you've met. She'd been patient, kind, and caring, while you've been dismissive, rude, and occasionally, a tool the Darkness uses to hurt her. You knew it wasn't entirely your fault, but you feel responsible for taking away a part of her. All you did was say one word, and it was all over. You made her just as powerless as you are. _Just as you do everyone else. _

Aqua cupped your face and smiled softly. "You don't need to push yourself for me. I can protect us even without Master's Defender. I didn't become a Master just because I can swing a key around better than Ventus and Terra you know?"

You rolled your eyes and pushed her away. "Then what do I do?" you hissed "Sit here and do nothing? Wait for rescue to come for another eternity when I finally have a chance to fight back?"

Aqua looked down, and avoided your eyes. She didn't have an answer either, you knew that.

"I'm going to explore for a bit," you told her. Aqua held you back for a bit, worried, but you shook her off. "I'll be fine. I'll shout if I need help."

She released your arm and sighed, defeated. "Be safe."

* * *

Aqua was seated by the shore the next time you see her; beside a mysterious black cloaked figure.

Your instincts immediately scream at you to protect and save her. No one wearing that black coat can be trusted. You didn't understand where it came from, but none of your emotions has ever lied to you. You picked up a stone ready to clobber the man on his head. Aqua didn't look like she was in any danger, but your feelings said otherwise.

"Tell me," the hooded figure started, his voice deep and introspective. "Do you plan on staying here?"

"These waters," Aqua said. "I can't shake the feeling that they touch another shore I've been to before too."

The figure nodded. "The Destiny Islands. A wonderful beach, that one."

You're unfamiliar with the world, but you do recall, very faintly an island bathed in light with fine sandy beach and waves calmer than the one before you.

_You emerged from the water, gasping for air just before a brown haired girl wearing a blue school swimsuit and pink jetpacks jumped to send you back down into the water again. Everyone laughs as you popped out of the surface again._ _ A boy with a vanilla colored Afro and wearing a silly pair of googles started shooting water on your faces in a mischievous grin. You all retaliate by splashing at him, and were caught off guard by another _ _boy wearing a mascot head with a red balloon on top and a blue fish eye mask screamed._

_He frantically clung to you, and both of you almost drown. _

"_Mog! What are you doing?" _

"_A turtle poked my floaters!"_

"_It's just a turtle!"_

"_But I can't swim!"_

"_Well get off e̶̢̨̞̝̮̝͉͇̘̫̫̙̬̝͕̥͈̼͙̾̿͌̌̈́̀̈́̈́̀̕̕͜͝ý̸̢̭̘͓͉͇̜̗̯͔̦͎͈̯̻̬̟̙̙͇̤̼̹̦̾̽̀͋̔̚͜ͅͅd̷̛̗̜̙͈̼̫̥̪̯̞̹͇͎͈͎̺̃̏͒̇͆̌̀͒ͅḳ̴̨̨̡̹͉̪͎̏̇͌̅̅̽̇̀͂̑̊͛̋̈́͗̋̈́͜i̸̠͖̫̳̥̺͇̺͓̲͓̰͎̅̌̐̂͘k̵̻̯̱̖̱̫̐̌̈̑̇̊͌͒̀̏̊̀̐̈̕ or you'll both drown!"_

_You fall further into the water and the waves crashed into you. _You come back to your senses with a heavy breath, searching for air that seemed to be stuck at your throat. You gasped desperate for circulation, and slowly calmed down. The memory was already fading from you mind, but one through remained. "I want to swim..."

"Someone will come for us," Aqua said, still hopeful, at the cloaked figure and you couldn't help but disagree.

You tried to be hopeful for her sake, but as time went on, and another eternity seemed to pass, you stopped trying. Aqua continued to trust in her friends and believed that they _will_ come. It bothered you, this... faith she had on them, and wanted her to at least be prepared for the inevitability of it. You have been trapped her far longer than she has, and even if you held unto the smallest glimmer of hope, no one came. You stopped wishing for anything, but Aqua wasn't like you.

Aqua still believed. She was still a warrior of light, something you no longer are, and you understood why. She had people to come back to, you don't.

"These waters are the in-between of dark and light," the figure said. "They brought you and I together, so why not also you and another?"

"Yes," Aqua smiled. "I know they will."

Aqua raised her blue wayfinder over to the horizon and watched as light filtered through the glass. You found yourself doing the same, but only frowned at the deformed state it was in. You've broke it in a fit of rage, and Aqua offered to fix it. You didn't let her because you wanted it to be a reminder. You were broken, so it was only appropriate your wayfinder was too. After all, Aqua said that it connected the destinies of two people._ Once you share it with another, you'll remain a part of each other's lives no matter what._

You were broken and lost, but the star will help you find your way back. It was foolish to believe, but you trusted Aqua. If she believes that they will be saved, then the least you could do is make sure she doesn't stop.

* * *

You took deep, heavy breaths as you stood in an open field; completely defenseless and open. No Heartless spawned in this area so you were confident you would be safe here, but it never was for too long. After the wave of indescribable physical and mental torment immobilizes you, the Heartless come to feed off the pain and destroy the Light. Alone, you were powerless, with Aqua, you were safe.

Aqua insisted she be around whenever you try to summon your keyblade. You let her, but ever since Aqua has lost her weapon you didn't want to burden her any further and did things on your own. You were fine for most of it, but it was mostly because she stuck a few meters back to watch over you. You're alive because of her, and now standing here, all alone without her, felt like you walked a hundred steps back into the past.

You were helpless again, and no one would come to save you.

Still, you chose not to think much about it. Aqua was too busy confiding with the man in the shore. Far better than she could ever confide in you too. It hurt a little, knowing that you can't help her as much as she's helped you, but you weren't apologetic about it. In fact you were angry. Angry that you can't remember anything, can't help anyone, and held no power.

You also didn't want her to get too involved in fear of her dying, or worse, succumbing to the darkness.

You have surrendered to the darkness before, and it brought you back just a tad different. You were apathetic about everything, less concerned of who you were, and you looked less and less like yourself. A dark reflection, you used to call it. Your skin had turned red and charcoal licked your finger tips up to your limbs. At one point, you grew tired seeing that reflection of yourself and fought back. Every time you triumphed over a Heartless it was like reclaiming a piece of yourself and overtime, you were able to look at yourself again. No red, no black, and able to feel. You're unsure if the same would apply to Aqua, so you wanted to avoid making that gamble.

You closed your eyes, and call for the light. A glimmer of light danced at your fingers tip as you reached out. The Darkness tugged at you from behind, screaming to **_let go_**.

You ignore it.

You pulled harder and spindles of light formed a weapon of sorts between your hands. You dared not open your eyes. This was the farthest you've gone in a long time calling for the keyblade and you didn't want to screw it up. The weapon glowed, showering you with an electrifying hum of energy. You closed your hand over the hilt and – "**AAAAAAAAAAAAARGH**!"

You dropped on the floor, clawing for air as the light retreated away from you. You reached out to it, but the Darkness pushed you down with an invisible blade through your chest. You scratched at the itch the sprung from it, and opened up old wounds that tormented you during hours of rest. The dreams, _nightmares_ of a blade sticking out of you, your cries. Their cries, and then Darkness. _Always darkness_.

You twist to the side, crying and almost begging for reprieve. You tried to breathe but it remained on you throat, unable to come out. You reached out for Aqua – She'll know what to do … She always does… "Ah –"

_You ran along a bridge with your Keyblade in hand. A sleek light blue blade that separates into a pointed end and a five pointed star. You held its deep colored indigo hilt with confidence and pride. It felt right on your hand, and you wielded it like nothing could go wrong. P_ _urple orbs stopped you in your tracks as three demonic looking creatures appeared._

"_What –" shouted a person behind you. "Heartless!?"_

_You raised your blade as their yellow beaded eyes glowed with eerie malice and pranced around like mischievous children. Their jagged grin and dark wings warned you of the danger they posses and held your ground. _"_Give… us… Lux…"_

"_Not a chance!" a girl with long black hair, wearing a black vest and a studded belt over a black skirt stepped forward. She summoned her own weapon, a blade similar to your own, albeit with a golden colored shaft rather than blue that separates into a ten-pointed star. _"_Let's go e̶̢̨̞̝̮̝͉͇̘̫̫̙̬̝͕̥͈̼͙̾̿͌̌̈́̀̈́̈́̀̕̕͜͝ý̸̢̭̘͓͉͇̜̗̯͔̦͎͈̯̻̬̟̙̙͇̤̼̹̦̾̽̀͋̔̚͜ͅͅd̷̛̗̜̙͈̼̫̥̪̯̞̹͇͎͈͎̺̃̏͒̇͆̌̀͒ͅḳ̴̨̨̡̹͉̪͎̏̇͌̅̅̽̇̀͂̑̊͛̋̈́͗̋̈́͜i̸̠͖̫̳̥̺͇̺͓̲͓̰͎̅̌̐̂͘k̵̻̯̱̖̱̫̐̌̈̑̇̊͌͒̀̏̊̀̐̈̕!"_

_You nodded and strike the Heartless alongside her. You fired magic to aid her, while she finished them off. She threw some magic of her own, and you pushed forward for the attack. You were completely in sync. However, d__espite your best efforts, the Heartless didn't, _won't _die. They suddenly retreated and you gave chase on instinct, but you paused after a purple colored cat popped up in their place._

"_Long time no see," it said while it bore it's eyes at you._

_You stare at its glassy red eyes and lower your weapon. You know this creature. You stepped closer but a similar looking creature, albeit grey colored, stood protectively before you._

"_I should have known it was you," said the grey animal. "You've been tainted by darkness"_

"_What's wrong?" the purple one asked. "Do you hate darkness?"_

_The purple feline hopped forward, and the grey one backed itself closer to you. _ "_Let me tell you a little secret," the purple one mused. "Light and dark are two halves of the same coin. Like day and night. One cannot exist without the other." The creature looks at you, and you felt a heavy weight on your pocket._

"_You should embrace it like they did!"_

"_Those three…" the girl mumbled, "Are they -?"_

"_Human, yes. Weak ones, but not anymore. The strength they fought you with is all their own!"_

"_Those are not the teachings," the grey one argued._

"_Teaching-smeechings. The truth is not something you teach," it said. "It's something you learn for yourself."_

"_Who is your wielder?" the grey one said. "Where are they?"_

_The purple cat chuckled as it looked at you. _ _You blink. "_ _Closer than you think."_

You awake back in darkness as opposed to the daylight that showered you from the memory. Your chest still hurt, but the pain had subsided a little so much so that it felt more like a prick of a needle than a hammer constantly striking it from all sides. You heard Heartless appear in droves around you as you try and make sense of the memory before it faded.

You pictured the girl, and _only_ the girl. You've seen her before in a photograph Aqua showed you, and most recently in your nightmares with Ephemer. You couldn't remember her name but that was the most you've heard her talk and you missed her greatly, much like you did Ephemer. The cat creatures... were also familiar. You remember the grey one very fondly, however, the purple one made you feel guilty somehow..

A heavy red bangle glowed on your right wrist, and you studied the new accessory with cautious wonder. You didn't get that much of a chance to because it flared up to shield you from a fireball thrown by a Flame Core. You pushed yourself up to your knees and made a break for it. You were unarmed and the Heartless were beginning to increase in number, the bangle can wait for till later.

The slide under a wave of Fluttering's then scrambled to slip past a wall of Fat Bodies that bumped into each other in their haste to corner you. A Neoshadow leaped from the ground with its claws out to strike, and you instinctively raised your bangled arm to protect yourself. The Heartless screeched as it bounced off some invisible barrier around you.

The bangle glowed ever brighter, and you felt your pocket weigh heavily with guilt. You reached down and raised it over your head. As the Heartless converged towards you, ready for the kill, then you crushed the medal on your hand. Seven red tinged swords circled around you and spun around defeating the Heartless nearby in one fell swoop. You escaped as far away as you can while the enemies gathered themselves.

You didn't dare look back, but the bangle continued to glow eerily amidst your decision to use it. Aqua is going to be _so_ pissed.

* * *

You managed to lose the Heartless with only a couple of marks. Aqua would definitely ask about the scraped knees and the burnt sleeves, so you tried to recompose yourself and find a way to hide the damage before returning to ask her about the bangle that now sat on your right arm. You tried to throw it away after you escaped, but as soon as you looked away, it was back on your wrist. It was even more persistent than Aqua was in the beginning, and you didn't have that much patience to deal with it.

Not only that, the bangle made you feel uneasy. It helped protect you and fight off the Heartless, but you felt very cold after you used it against them. It was nothing like the times you let the Darkness work through you. This bangle called out to _your_ darkness. It was icky and horrible. You wanted to be rid of it, but it wouldn't leave you alone. You ran out of ideas of how to, and supposed Aqua would know. Maybe the hooded figure would.

As you approached the shore, you stopped on your tracks upon spotting another black robed figure. He had his hood down and had long white hair.

"Master, I must have a word with you," the new robed figure said.

Aqua stood up, alarmed and ready to fight, while the hooded figure dropped his hood to reveal a blond, bearded man with amber colored eyes. The bearded man and the white haired figure exchanged a few words, while Aqua listened in. You could see her eyes glancing back and forth between them, then searching around for someone. She was looking for you, and the panic quickly settled in her face.

You quietly maneuvered yourself through the big rocks on the shore to get closer to Aqua and felt around the Darkness. In your complicated relationship with the Darkness at least allowed you to learn a few tricks within it. You learned to project your emotions, and by extension your presence through it like a homing beacon. Aqua too, in her trapped state, has learned to read the Darkness' moods; yours included.

You felt around the dark to alert Aqua of your safety without notifying the other two but just as your feelings reached the white haired guy, your instantly retreated and cowered behind a rock. The darkness surrounding the white haired figure was far more suffocating and deadly than your own. It was nothing compared to the real Darkness that surrounded you, but it was enough to shatter your confidence in your control of the same power.

He was far more disciplined at it than you were.

You wouldn't stand a chance, and If Aqua were to go against him without Master's Defender, it would be over for her too. You clutched the bangle on your arm and tried to calm yourself down. The Darkness whispered in your ear, eager and assuring.

"You can reconstruct memories," the white haired man said. You blinked, intrigued. "You did with Sora. I believe you have seen this girl's memories and made her forget."

"Reconstruct… memories?" You peered behind your hiding place then searched the bearded man of any semblance of truth. Hope blossomed at your chest. If what white hair claimed to be was true, then… maybe they can help you regain your memories too? Maybe even help you get your keyblade back. Your breath hitched as the Darkness whispered against your decision.

_You will never return to who you once were._

The man reached for the older figure, and Aqua slapped away the former's hand. She was done listening to him. "I think you should go."

"A lost guardian of light?" the man mocked. "You wait here for the King and his fool, how disappointing."

The shadow beneath him grew larger beneath his feet, and suddenly an enormous grayish black humanoid body with a pair of crooked antennae and a large heart shaped hole over its chest appeared. It threw Aqua to the side, and you couldn't help but cry out.

"Aqua!"

A wave of darkness sends you back to your helpless state, and you cowered in fear as the white haired man seemed to ignore your presence and walked ever closer to Aqua, who picked herself right up from the attack. You heard her grunt and try to best the taller man with just her arms and legs for a weapon, and desperately reached into your pocket. You hands touched cold sharpened metal and you feel the bangle hum in delight as the power flowed through you. Your darkness once again reunited with you, under your control.

_Don't do it! _

You heard a voice. Unfamiliar yet familiar at the same time, you release the medal in your hand and anxiously looked back at Aqua. She was still holding her own pretty well, as expected of a Keyblade Master, but you knew she wasn't going to last long. You glanced down at the bangle that tempted you to use it, then back at Aqua. The darkness you would be using would be yours, not the Darkness itself. You could control it, but the fear of being overpowered by your own emotions scared you.

You didn't know what would happen if you lost control. You might hurt Aqua, and even if she had it in her to forgive you, which she did, you wouldn't be able to live with yourself. Aqua has been nothing but kind to you; you couldn't betray that by hurting her even more. However, the longer you thought about it, the more Aqua suffered. Without power, you would lose. Both of you would, but with the darkness, _your_ darkness, regardless of how small it was compared to the white haired man, it was a chance you were willing to take to save Aqua.

You would lose, but Aqua would survive.

She would she her friends again and defeat the Darkness in the Realm of Light; her home - _your home_. She would live, and you die as you should have all those years ago. The bangle glowed brighter, the light encompassing your face and filling you up with guilt, _survivors guilt. You didn't deserve to live._

Aqua cried out as she was caught by the Guardian's hand and was dangled upside down over the white haired man. You vaulted over the rock and tackled her assailant. "Let her go!"

"What –" he snapped his attention towards you, bewildered by your sudden intrusion, but kept his control on the gigantic Heartless.

"Kid, let go, now!" Aqua said as she freed herself from the Guardian's grasp and kicked it on its face.

The Guardian trashed around, hitting you to the side as it tried to grab at Aqua again. You dropped to the side and hit your head hard on a boulder. Your visions swam and black circles filtered the side of your sight. You opened your mouth to call for Aqua, but nothing came out.

Aqua flipped around to get some distance between her and the enemy before turning to you. You see her shout your the not-so-much your name, name, as the white haired man moved closer to you; his eyes narrowing with intrigue.

"You are an unforeseen variable," he said. "Truly, it pains me to separate another beautiful friendship. Be assured that I will not leave both of you with nothing."

The Guardian Heartless amassed a large ball of depravity before its heart shaped-hole, and you stiffened at the surge of Darkness around you. You forced your limbs to move and immediately scrambled for Aqua. You fell on your stride, but you didn't dare stop. You still had time. _You could make it_.

The white haired man amusingly watched your futile attempt at a rescue, and released the attack with a wave of his hand.

You tripped as the suffocating mass of Darkness flew past your head. You cried out for her, and for a brief moment you swore Aqua reached out to you. Her mouth moved but you didn't hear what she said, you couldn't. All around, all you could hear was the heavy drumming of your heart and a loud ringing that seemed to block out any and all sensation coursing through your body.

The dark energy swallows Aqua whole and threw her careening off into the dark, empty sea.

"**NO**!"

Aqua disappeared into the depths, her light slowly being overcome by Darkness. You shook as your worst fear was realized, and you watched Aqua descend into a place she could never come back from. The Darkness reiterated Aqua's fate to you, and you scratched your nails unto the sand, disappointed at yourself and your strength. It wasn't enough.

You failed to protect someone dear to you _again, _and it cost you everything.

The bangle burned bright red as your darkness messily tossed around, unable to be contained in one place. Purple mixed in as your guilt_, your despair, your anguish, your anger, your rage - **your** _**_resentment - _**boiled into one. Mists of dark purple with an angry red glow circled around your arms and pooled around you hand. You stood up slowly, and turned your head slowly at the white haired man.

He chuckled in awe at the darkness you gathered around yourself and gaped, "To think a child such as yourself is capable of wielding so much darkness in their body." He offered out his hand. "Come with me and I will teach you more."

"**_Shut up,_**" you answered without even a second thought. As if you were going to escape this hell with a murderer like him. You promised Aqua you would escape together, and that is what you would do. You're going to wait until she returns, no matter how depraved or changed she is by the Darkness. When her friends come, when Sora comes, you'll tell him about her. He'll save her. He'll save you, but till then, you had to avenge her.

The mist formed a long blade at your side and as you kicked off the sand and ran at full speed at the white haired bastard. He simply stood there watching your every move intently, eyes focused on the incomplete blade by your hand. You threw a reverse medal over your head and smacked the dark mist at it. It exploded in a bright flash of purple and red that enveloped the shore.

High above the beach, hundred's of meteor sized flames rained down mercilessly on the target. The man shielded himself with his own brand of darkness and ordered his Guardian to crush through the fiery orbs before it can descend on him. You didn't even make it halfway towards him before he waved his hand and you were thrown back by an invisible wave of darkness.

"Is this all your despair can do, child? You have much to learn. Cease this now and I will guide you to real power such as mine."

You caught yourself with the unformed weapon and quickly returned to your advance. You passed by the other cloaked figure, who watched you with a deep frown. You ignored it. If you had enough energy to do so, you'd have ended him as well. He had just as much fault as the white haired bastard for hurting Aqua. If he didn't come here, then the white haired bastard wouldn't either.

You threw another medal out in front of you, and then streams of red energy snaked its way randomly across the air. You screamed out loud as you vaulted high into the air, and raised the unformed weapon above your head. The Guardian was immediately in front of you to protect it's master, but you kick it's arms away and jabbed the weapon into its chest cavity. "_**T****his is for Aqua!**_"

A high pitched sound screeched in the air as raw mana of magic pooled around the tip of your unformed weapon. It erupted in a searing hot and blinding flash of red-orange light. The ground shook with an earth-shaking magnitude that sent you and the white haired man meters apart from each other. The Guardian roared, agitated by the flames that engulfed it from the inside out and continued to burn through its skin.

It flew around angrily, twisting and writhing in pain as it tried to extinguish the fire you've started.

You rolled to the ground and felt your hand touch something solid. You gasped as the energy you used to hit the Guardian now took form as a large blade with a wide berth. It outwardly faded from pink colors to violet. The blade curved at intervals, growing sharper, and wider at each time. White lines and runic symbols ran across its face until the tip where the blade curved to form a set of angled teeth, a maw of sorts. You held its grey hilt close as you looked at it in awe.

The blade bathed in a pink glow that made it feel familiar. It gave you confidence. With it, you can do anything. You held the blade with both hands and stood at the ready as the Guardian finally succumbed to its injuries and returned to the white haired bastard's shadow.

Both robed figures looked at you with wide, almost shocked, expression. Then the white haired one broke into laughter. "You continued to exceed expectations. I have decided that you have no choice in my offer. You _will_ come with me."

"**_Eat shit_**," you snarled as you clutched Darkgnaw close and ran towards him again.

The white haired man spread out his arms and formed spheres of darkness above his palms. He threw it towards you in a barrage, and you instinctively rolled out of the way. You block and parry the ones you couldn't escape with your blade and pushed it back at the robed figure. He only whisked it away with a wave of his hand. You clicked you tongue, obviously annoyed by the massive difference in strength between you. However, you weren't doing so bad yourself. You still had a fight left in you, and you had no intention of stopping.

You'd die before he can take you with him.

He shot discs of darkness at you again from multiple sides, and you raised Darkgnaw above your head. A purple barrier that looked similar to Aqua's formed amidst your will and with a whip of your blade, the barrier shattered into projectiles that forced the robed asshole to _finally_ move - maybe a little too fast for your own liking.

You missed him teleport behind you and was suddenly hurtled towards a boulder. Before you can pick yourself up, he was once again near you face and forced you back with a wave of explosive energy. You dropped Darkgnaw as you dropped to the ground and scrambled away from him.

"Come now, this is a battle you cannot win. Even with a Keyblade by your side our strengths are far too outmatched."

You grabbed a fistful of sand and threw it on his face. It didn't do much, but it did stop him for a moment.

"Very well. You have chosen your fate." He warped himself in front of you again, and threw you into the air. He rushed after you several times, cutting and hitting you in multiple places while covered in a cloak of darkness. You couldn't do anything to defend yourself. All you _could_ do was scream. You fell back to the ground, completely defeated.

The white haired man approached you slowly as he reveled at your battered state. "Stop fighting. The victor is clear. Come with me, and I will spare your life."

"Never," you hissed through ragged breaths. "I'll die before I go with you."

He narrowed his eyes at your stubbornness, and before he can incapacitate you with a large mass of darkness pooling at his arm, you activated a medal in your hand and quickly shoved it into his chest. The medal burst in a thick cloud of grey that send an electrifying pulse through the robed man's body. Before he could recover from the paralyzing attack, you called for Darkgnaw and held it with a firm backhand grip.

You pushed off the ground and cut through him with seven relentless slashes that increased the bright purple flame around your blade with every successful hit.

The man groaned and called forth the darkness around him in frustration. You kicked him back, and without wasting a beat, pointed your weapon at him. The fire on your blade converged at the end then erupt in a ball of flames big enough to scorch the ground. You heard a scream just as the fire burned through everything in its path, and you fell to your knees.

Darkgnaw dispersed in a flash of purple light, and you feel the consequences of your actions settle deep down your stomach. You felt _horrible_. You look at the dust cloud left by your attack and felt around the darkness. You couldn't sense his presence and naively assumed victory. You picked yourself up and hobbled towards the shore to beg the Darkness to return Aqua to you.

It laughed at your face as the bangle on your wrist hummed in red and purple. You've won the battle, regained your keyblade, and defeated the enemy; but you still lost Aqua. There was no victory in that.

"My child," the bearded man started softly. "Are you alright?"

You turned to the old man as you refused to resign Aqua's fate, and glared at the grim, apologetic look at his face. Why was he making that face? This was all his fault. He didn't deserve to be sorry. Without saying anything, you decided that you hated that face. "You should leave."

The old man closed his eyes and nodded in faint understanding. He turned to leave, until the winds picked up, and you felt the very same darkness you just defeated reappear behind you. You searched for Darkgnaw again, but your call was caught in between your attempts to break free from the hand that blocked your airway.

The Guardian squeezed its hand around your neck while the white haired man watched you with great interest. "Impressive. Still young and weak in your control of the darkness, yet you chose welded your Keyblade with such mastery. I much rather kill you if given the chance however, an opportunity shouldn't be wasted."

He smiled at you, but all you could see was how his eyes glowed in a dangerous gold. You hated that color. You punched, kicked, and tried _anything_ to break free, but you were starting to lose it. You lacked air, and you've depleted whatever mana you had left in you.

"Children should know to behave around their elders," he chided before he turned to the older man. "Now, Master, would you kindly cooperate to save this child's life?"

You glanced at the bearded man as the last of your sensibility waned and shook you head. You hated him, and Aqua may have lost, but she didn't sacrifice herself to just lose both of them to a Seeker of Darkness. You blacked out before you could see his answer, and the last thing your registered was the cold sea water brushing past your skin.

This was a nightmare you didn't want to wake up from again.

* * *

**A/N**: Phew, this one-shot took two days. Couldn't decide on whether I would have [Player] wait for Anti-Aqua to be rescued, only to be left behind, or this one. Me guess is that my love for using less popular fanfiction characters wins again and so, the Nort boy band now has you, the [Player] in their grasp! Whatever could they be planning to do with you? Nort you? Keep you in stasis? Adopt you so you can bother Vanitas all day? Who know? I have zero clues.

(Should we tell Ansem SoD that kidnapping children is illegal? Then again, he body napped Riku, so he knows what he's doing.)

I just wrote this for fun because I honestly would've wanted more Union X in Kingdom Hearts 3, but I guess seeing Ephemer is enough to satisfy me for the next five years, until Union X updates the story reguarly. Also that epilogue. Hooo boi. It's animal beat-up time.

Well that's all from me, hope you enjoyed this one-shot. Click on that follow or favorite button to get updates on whenever I post the next angst filled installment of this series. Should I make [Player] suffer int he past or in the present first? Hm... Leave your comments and ideas below! I would love to incorporate them to my next Kingdom Hearts fics.

Sushi Out!


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